Building lath



March 27, 1934. E. WESTBERG BUILDING LATH Filed Jan. 29, 1929 IN VEN TR.

Patented Mar. 27, 1934 BUILDING LATH Edward Westberg, Glendale, Calif.

Application January 29, 1929, Serial No. 335,917

1 Claim. (01. 72-116) This invention relates generally to lath adapted to receive and support plaster for walls, and has for an object the provision of a new type of building lath arranged preferably in sheet form, of relatively thin material, such as paper, composition, wood, pulp, or like materials, preferably non-meta1lic, and adapted to be attached to the studs or wall frames of a building, and to be so treated. that it will be stiff and rigid enough to receive and support the usual thickness of plaster applied to the interior or exterior of walls, and yet flexible enough for the purpose of handling easily.

In the consideration of this invention, my improved form of lath should not be confused with wall board or the'like, for the reason that this invention does not contemplate the application to or formation of a body of plastic or cementitious material of usual or substantial thickness on or between sheets of paper or other material.

On the other hand, my invention in its broadest sense contemplates the use of a single sheet, layer, or lamination of tough paper, fiber, pulp, composition, or other suitable material rolled, molded, or pressed into form with ribs, corrugations and/or indentations formed thereon, and the application thereto on one or both sides, as may be necessary, of a stiffening element such as glue, mineral powder, or both, or other adhesive element, which when dry will prevent the lath from warping, stretching, or buckling.

Thus, lath of the character described may be, after such treatment, flexible or relatively stiff, and in its general appearance and character may be similar to ordinary sand paper or the like.

Also, the lath, when treated as hereinabove described, may be water-proofed, on one or both sides, and when treated with some suitable mineral substance capable of union with plaster, will serve to support a coat of plaster on the side, or sides, so treated.

An object of my invention is to provide an extremely cheap, simple and efiective carrier or lath for-plaster, which is capable of being stiffened and stretched suiiiciently taut when attached to the sides of a building so as to hold the plaster until the same has set.

Such a lath will eliminate the necessity for more expensive wall boards, plaster, and composition lath, and may be either temporary or permanent in character, depending upon the quality and kind of plaster and type of building on which the lath is used.

With the above and other objects in view, I

have shown a form of my invention in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a perspective view of a sheet of lath embodying my improvements.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged exaggerated fragmentary section thereof.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a building showing my improved lath applied to the walls thereof.

In its preferred form, my lath is formed in thin sheets of any suitable width and length, but in lath. adapted for use in wood framed buildings, the length of the sheets is preferably in multiples of 16 inches, which represents the center to center distance of the studs 1, l of a wall. Preferably the sheets are of substantially less width than length. as shown.

The sheets i are formed of carriers, as at A, which may be of paper, thin cardboard, Wood, pulp, or composition material thin enough to be of light weight and economical in cost, and yet strong enough and tough enough to prevent undue warping, stretching, buckling, and distortion.

The sheets A may be made of either absorbent or non-absorbent materials, but preferably the latter, and they may or may not be perforated at a plurality of points a, a etc., either regularly or irregularly to provide bonds or clinches for the coat of plaster P. The sheets A may be corrugated, ribbed, indented, or otherwise formed to provide strength, rigidity, and a proper clinch for the plaster.

In its simplest form, my improved lath may embody the sheets A with a coating 13 of sizing, glue, or other suitable stiffening element applied to one or both sides thereof, so that the sheets will at all times retain their size and shape and will not ordinarily be distorted either before or after their application to the wall of a building.

In many or all cases I may apply to one or both sides of the sheets a sprinkling or thin coat of mineral powder, as at C, before the stiffening element B has dried. The coat of powder or mineral substance C is preferably chosen for its affinity for plaster so that it may serve to support the plaster thereon by adhesion. A single composition, however, embodying the characteristics of the elements B and C may be applied to one or both sides of the carrier A for the purpose of stiifening, and at the same time causing the plaster P to adhere to the lath.

It will be understood that the purpose of the element B is primarily to stiffen the carrier sheets A, and the purpose of the element 0 is to provide a surface on the sheets A to which the coat of plaster P may be caused to adhere. Also, the element B, before it has dried, may serve to hold the element C in position on the sheets as sand is held on sheets or rolls of sand paper.

While it is contemplated that the sheets A may be flexible enough after the application of the elements 13 and C, or either of them, on either or both sides of the sheets, to permit the sheets being formed into rolls, the sheets may be stacked one upon the other fiatwise as in the case of plasterboard, or may be formed in long lengths as in the case of ordinary building paper and cut into selected lengths prior to or after their application to a building.

The elements B and C, or either of them, may serve to render the carrier sheets A moistureproof and moisture repellant, and at the same time such elements may constitute a suitable preservative for the sheets A so that the carriers will not rot or deteriorate after the application of the plaster P thereto.

It will be understood that in the application of plaster to buildings, it is usually only necessary to provide a suitable carrier for the plaster during the process of application of the plaster to the walls. When the plaster P has set, it is usually of sufficient strength and rigidity that substantial thicknesses of lath, wall board, or the like, are unnecessary.

Accordingly, I have provided a simple, economical, form of lath which possesses suflicient rigidity, firmness and strength to receive and support the plaster P before it has set, and which may be made of such materials that after the plaster has set it will materially re-inforce the plaster and add a greater degree of rigidity to the Walls.

It will be readily understood that my improved lath may be modified in form and substance to meet varying requirements of use without enlargement beyond the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A building lath comprising a perforated body of tough flexible material having a thin coat of adhesive material covering a side thereof, and a thin layer of comminuted mineral covering and capable of adhesion to said adhesive material for supporting a surface coating of plaster, said mineral covering having projecting portions engaging the perforations of said body, the lath retaining its flexibility after the applied materials are dry.

EDWARD WESTBERG. 

